Training: Fear and… Fear

It's easy to forget how far I've come since this.

I’m cleared to run, but haven’t done much. Sure, I use the weather as an excuse, but the truth is that I’m more than a little bit afraid of the possibility of pain. I’ve had enough of that already, thanks.

The Plan

  • Monday: Run Gym
  • Tuesday: Gym
  • Wednesday: Pilates
  • Thursday: Gym
  • Friday: Rest Day
  • Saturday: Run
  • Sunday: Rest Day

Procrastination aside, I did spend plenty of time at the gym this week. On Monday, I did my half hour on the machine that’s a cross between an elliptical and stair climber (ellipticlimber?) and then went over to the empty TRX station. I had my headphones on, so when the trainer came over with his client and said something about “working with a trainer,” I assumed that he was telling me to get out because the TRX station was for trainers only. I apologized and was about to move on when he stopped me and said, “No, don’t leave. I just said that you’re the first person I’ve seen using this without a trainer.” I was, in fact, perfectly entitled to use it. Yay! When I ran into him the following day, he offered me a few TRX exercise tips, including push-ups, mountain climbers, skiiers and pikes that left me plenty sore the next morning.

I appreciated his help, but I don’t necessarily need a trainer. The Tiny Kitchen Assistant is also a Tiny Fitness Coach, and on Friday night he declared that we would be waking early and going for a run. Well, we did wake early and go out, but “run” was a bit of an overstatement as he was more interested in scheduling hydration breaks to take sips from the water bottle on the 0.8 mile run/walk.

When he crashed for nap time on Saturday afternoon, I headed out for my first real run, a 1.95-mile loop on streets and the flat, packed gravel portion of a local trail. To put it bluntly, it sucked. My time certainly could have been worse (12:07/mi), but not by much at that distance, and when it was done I was huffing and puffing like I’d run a marathon while carrying a piano.

I didn’t really appreciate how much my running had improved last summer thanks to Team in Training practices, but I suddenly remembered every slogging footfall from the past. It will take time, practice, ibuprofen and ice to get me back into shape, but I keep looking at the calendar with the Oakland Running Festival Twilight 5K scheduled for March 26. I have a long way to go, but I have nine weeks to do it. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

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